The chief US negotiator in the six-party talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said Tuesday that Pyongyang's demand for civilian nuclear power is not a "show-stopper" and some kind of compromise on the issue is possible, said a Washington Times report on Wednesday.

Although the chief US negotiator, Christopher Hill, insisted that the DPRK does not need nuclear energy, he indicated that the United States is trying to address the issue with more flexibility than before, the report said.

"I think we can come up with something. But I cannot be more specific than that because we are in the middle of a negotiation," the report quoted Hill as saying.

Speaking earlier Tuesday, Hill played down Pyongyang's demand for a civilian reactor, calling it a "theoretical, downstream" matter that is "not a major stumbling block."

Hill conceded that, for some in the six-party talks -- notably South Korea and Russia, the issue is whether the DPRK "could then reclaim a right to nuclear energy," the report said.

South Korea said on Aug. 11 that the DPRK has the right to a peaceful nuclear program, a view in apparent conflict with the United States. However, both the United States and South Korea have since tried to brush aside any conflict between the two allies.

Negotiators from China, DPRK, the United States, Russia, South Korea and Japan held a 13-day negotiation in Beijing from July 26 to Aug. 7, seeking a settlement to the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula.

According to an agreement reached by all parties, the fourth round of six-party talks will resume next week in Beijing.

Source: Xinhua